Water in the Agricultural Sector:
About the Talk:
Water is a critical asset and cost input in California's agricultural sector. With aging statewide infrastructure, increased regulatory requirements in the Delta, the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and the uncertainty of climate change, farmers in California need to manage the volatility of their water supplies and water costs. This seminar will offer an overview of the current political and regulatory landscape of water in California's agricultural industry, examine the importance of water costs in a farmer's annual budget and look at private and public solutions for addressing the issues on the horizon.
Biography:
 |
Jon Reiter is a principal of Cavalrei, a consultancy offering services in the agriculture, finance, solar and water industries. From 2013-2019, Jon served as the CEO of Maricopa Orchards. Maricopa Orchards is a leading almond, pistachio, and fresh produce grower and Jon led the company on, among other things, a multi-pronged water strategy that included federal and state surface water, long term surface water contracts and groundwater banking. He sits on the boards of Wheeler Ridge Maricopa Water Storage District, the White Wolf Groundwater Sustainability Agency and the Arroyo Passajero Mutual Water Company. Prior to joining Maricopa Orchards, Jon was a finance attorney for Milbank where he represented developers, lenders and investors in the water and renewable energy industries. Prior to Milbank, Jon worked for British Telecommunications (BT), a Global Fortune 500 communications company, where he was responsible for global procurement and real estate transactions as well as leading BT’s renewable energy efforts in the Americas. Jon joined BT upon the sale of his prior technology company to BT in 2004. Prior to BT, Jon was a mergers and acquisitions attorney with O’Melveny. Jon graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree emphasizing in Political Science/Environmental Science Policy and Management. Jon went on to earn his JD/MBA from the University of Southern California. Jon is a member of the California State Bar, a California real estate broker, and a private pilot. |
